Daniel Ponce De Leon Could Face Abner Mares After Original Foe Pulled Out

Daniel Ponce De Leon could end up fighting Abner Mares after original challenger Jayson Velez pulled out of their title fight that was scheduled on March 2 at the Apollo Theater in New York City.

The Ponce De Leon vs Velez main event was scratched off after the challenger sustained an ankle injury, which forced him to bid goodbye for now to his shot at Ponce De Leon’s World Boxing Council featherweight title.

When informed about the Velez’s decision to pull out of their scheduled title fight, Ponce De Leon said: “Now we have to wait for another opponent. I was ready for the fight on March 2. It’s a shame that Velez did not want to fight, and now we have to wait for someone else. I have to stay on track, continue training.”

While he is frustrated with the sudden cancelation of his fight, Ponce De Leon could end up fighting former two division champion Abner Mares, who recently vacated his WBC 122-pound title to move up to the featherweight division.

The undefeated Mexican, who also once dominated the 118-pound division, previously said that he is willing to fight the winner of the Ponce De Leon – Velez title fight, prompting reigning WBC featherweight champion to call out Mares.

Ponce De Leon said: “Abner Mares also said that he wants to fight. If he is ready for the date of March 2, we will fight.”

Ponce De Leon vs Mares will be easier to arrange since both fighters are managed by Frank Espinoza, who believes the fight will attract a lot of attention, but he admitted that the date and the venue could pose some problems in the negotiations.

Espinoza said: “That would be a very big fight for both of them and there isn’t enough time to promote that kind of fight. The date is only a few weeks away. I don’t believe the Apollo Theater is the right location for that fight. And financially there isn’t enough money available to make the fight on the March show.”

If the plan fails to materialize, Ponce De Leon’s camp will consider other options such as former titleholder Johnny Gonzales and Filipino featherweight Michael Farenas, who had a gallant stand against Yuriorkis Gamboa late last year.